Parti Keadilan Rakyat (Keadilan) could have separate manifestos for three states in the coming general election, its secretary-general Abdul Rahman Othman said today.

When contacted, he said this would be a "plus factor" for Barisan Alternatif (BA) to increase its presence in the states, namely Selangor, Perak and Penang.

He said the idea of different manifestos - which is still being considered - would also allow candidates from the opposition front to address local issues which differ from one state to another.

Abdul Rahman ( left ) said this when asked to comment on a report in yesterday's Sunday Star quoting Keadilan Youth chief Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor ( right ) as saying that the party might consider following its BA ally PAS in creating separate manifestos for the next elections.

The three states have been earmarked because the party believes that it can do well against the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.

Numerous issues

Asked about the issues which the party intends to address in the three states, Abdul Rahman replied: "Well there are many...but the main ones would be squatter problems in Selangor, illegal factories in Perak and in Penang... we have an uneven economic development and PORR (the Penang Outer Ring Road, map ).

"With a special manifesto, the candidates can focus on the issues in the relevant states and tell the people how they think the problems ought to be settled. It shows that we are sensitive to the locals' needs."

As for the flak which PAS has attracted due to its separate manifestos for state and federal level, the Keadilan leader said there was nothing wrong in the practice as long as did not contradict BA's national manifesto.

"I don't think it is hypocritical to have separate manifestos. It merely informs the people of the state programmes which are in store for them in the event they chose to elect us," he stressed.

Not new idea

Abdul Rahman said the negative reports on PAS , among which accused the party of 'deceit and doublespeak', was aimed at discrediting the opposition front.

"This is not new. PAS adopted a similar practice in the last elections where it issued separate manifestos for the states of Kelantan and Terengganu with religious issues being the main focus - this catered to the needs of the majority in those states," he said.

He stressed that the PAS manifesto for the two states in 1999 did not breach the BA common manifesto. The PAS manifesto detailed its programmes of Islamisation specifically for the two states only.

PAS has recently been criticised for including its theocratic aims in the manifesto for the two states but excluding this from the federal manifesto, a move which detractors said was aimed at appeasing the non-Muslims.